job description

Erwin Ariadharma

Ref Batch
K
Focus Area(s)
Ref Batch Number
2
Country of Reform
Interviewers
Andrew Schalkwyk
Name
Erwin Ariadharma
Interviewee's Position
Senior Public Sector Management Specialist
Interviewee's Organization
World Bank
Language
English
Nationality of Interviewee
Indonesian
Town/City
Jakarta
Country
Date of Interview
Reform Profile
No
Abstract

Erwin Ariadharma talks through the history of civil service reform programs in Indonesia, focusing on recent reforms in the Director-General of Tax within the Ministry of Finance under Sri Mulyani, as well as reforms in the Supreme Audit Board and the Supreme Court.  These three institutions together make up three priority areas for the government of Indonesia in terms of state revenue, auditing of state revenue, and law enforcement.  Ariadharma talks briefly about the job-description exercise and rationalizing of job grades undertaken in these institutions.  He also talks about the streamlining of standard operating procedures and improvements in information systems.  He describes how salaries were raised within the three targeted institutions and how, once this had been done, there was a clearly articulated zero-tolerance policy on corruption.  Opportunities for corruption were also reduced through minimizing citizen-staff interactions.  Ariadharma talks about the role of the Ministry of Administrative Reform in sanctioning and approving reform.  He concludes the interview with some thoughts on effective donor engagement with partner countries.

Profile

At the time of this interview, Erwin Ariadharma was senior public sector management specialist in the World Bank office in Jakarta.  In this role, he was responsible for providing technical assistance to line ministries and government agencies undertaking reform programs, including the director-general of tax in the Ministry of Finance.  Prior to joining the World Bank, he worked for consulting firms in Indonesia, including Booz Allen Hamilton, KPMG, Moores Rowland, Bearing Point and Grant Thornton.

Full Audio File Size
27 MB
Full Audio Title
Erwin Ariadharma - Full Interview

Richard Panton

Ref Batch
B
Focus Area(s)
Ref Batch Number
4
Country of Reform
Interviewers
Summer Lopez
Name
Richard Panton
Interviewee's Position
Deputy Director-General for Training and Development
Interviewee's Organization
Liberia Institute for Public Administration
Language
English
Nationality of Interviewee
Liberian
Town/City
Monrovia
Country
Date of Interview
Reform Profile
No
Abstract

Richard Panton describes the role he played in public sector reform in Liberia. Before the civil war, he explains, civil servants were adequate and well trained. But they began to take jobs in the private sector, non-governmental organizations and the United Nations after the war, leading to a decline in the public sector’s capacity. Also, due to transitional arrangements, recruiters did not consider education and professionalism when selecting public workers. Reform was necessary to resolve capacity issues. The Civil Service Agency was in charge of selection and recruitment, payroll and age structure, and promotion systems. The Liberia Institute of Public Administration designed a curriculum for training existing public workers. Panton was involved in designing and facilitating training programs in records management, project planning and management, human resource management, strategic management, and financial management. According to him, some of the challenges included a shortage of training equipment, budget delays and inadequate specialists in human resource management.  

Profile

At the time of this interview, Richard Panton was the deputy director-general for training and development at the Liberia Institute for Public Administration. He joined LIPA in 1998 as a special assistant to the director-general. He was also a trainer of the African Management Development Institute Network and an instructor of public administration and management at the University of Liberia and United Methodist University. Panton joined the government as a cadet in 1985 in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He worked in the Office of the Deputy Minister for Administration. He later moved to the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics with a minor concentration in political science from the University of Liberia and a master’s in development management from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration.  

Full Audio File Size
73 MB
Full Audio Title
Richard Panton - Full Interview